The inspiration behind 1854 Reserve began the summer after my freshman year of undergrad, when my dad, granddads, and I visited Kentucky to tour distilleries and attend a horse race. That trip sparked a lasting passion for high-quality bourbon and the art of distillation. During my senior year at Wofford College, I had the idea to craft a bourbon that honored my alma mater, a Southern institution rich in history. The result was 1854 Reserve, named for the year Wofford was founded, with label elements sourced directly from the college archives.

At Duke, I’ve had the opportunity to expand this idea into a broader venture. As part of a course designed for students interested in entrepreneurship, my team and I scaled the concept into a customizable bourbon experience for other clients and released a second edition of 1854 Reserve. This effort also led to the launch of our parent company, Southern Specialty Spirits. What began as a personal passion project has grown into a full-fledged business, supported by the skills and community I found at Fuqua.

How are you leveraging what you’ve learned in the MMS program as the founder of 1854 Reserve?

As the founder of 1854 Reserve, I have to wear a variety of different hats, and the MMS program helped me tremendously. From accounting to marketing to supply chain, each MMS class provided knowledge that was very applicable to my venture. With what I learned in my accounting class, I was able to avoid the common mistakes made when starting a business including something as simple as when to classify a purchase as a business expense. My MMS experiences helped me understand the importance of not relying solely on one supplier and to create several options for each step of the process. 

Outside of the classroom, my teachers were enthusiastic about it and were willing to share whatever advice or connections they could to assist me.

You appeared at the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Startup Showcase. Tell us about that experience.

During the spring semester, I had the opportunity to apply to the New Ventures: Develop course offered by Duke I&E and was selected to be one of the founders. I had a fantastic team comprised of three MBA students and one undergraduate student who assisted with growing the company, deciding which markets to target, and reaching out to potential clients.

The Startup Showcase was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our products to students, faculty, investors, and many others. The biggest takeaway for me was the importance of the team that represents your venture.  One weak link in a team can decrease the effectiveness of the team, and I am very fortunate to have had such a wonderful team. We even met a potential new client at the event and are in the process of determining the scope of their bourbon.

Looking ahead, what do you hope to accomplish next?

After graduating from Fuqua, my goal is to continue growing the brand with other clients while also applying to jobs. I am targeting roles in health care on the business side. In July, I was in Kentucky bottling two clients’ bourbon. From an idea to a finished bottle on a store shelf, the process of launching a bourbon company has provided me with valuable experiences that I look to leverage in future careers. I would like to work in the biotechnology sector helping smaller companies scale and go to market. It is exactly what I have done with my bourbon, just a different industry!